How Was Your Summer? NBA

As football season draws close enough to get excited about, I decided it was time to for Screwball to end his summer vacation and catch up on all the exciting events of the summer. First up, the NBA.

Cleveland takes another shot to the groin:

In a one hour special dramatically titled "The Decision" LeBron James announced he would be, "taking his talents to South Beach." This after Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh announced they would be playing together in Miami. If the Celtics had the Big 3, Miami signed the Colossal 3 this summer.

Miami now has (without question) two of the three best players in the league. Adding Bosh to that equation creates an embarrassment of riches unlike anything seen in the last 25 years. If you watched the last USA Olympic basketball team, you saw the chemistry between James and Wade who were the two best players on the court even with Kobe on the team. With Kobe aging, Wade is probably the best pure scorer in the NBA and LeBron is the best athlete and overall player.

To say that their games won't be complimentary is a very short sided view of what James is capable of. The genius of his game is not his ability to score. He is an average outside shooter at best. His real value is the overall package of passing, rebounding, defense, and slashing to the basket which elevates the game of everyone around him. Give Wade a guy like that, throw in a power forward who shoots for an extremely high percentage in Bosh, add the myriad of talented role players that are volunteering their services (like Mike Miller), and Miami should win the championship next year. I don't believe a team with that many weapons will need a year to get used to each other. Boston didn't.

Playing with former NBA champion Wade will be a huge relief for James. LeBron might be the bigger name, but it will still be Wade's team. James has always wanted to be "one of the guys" as evidenced by his pre-game antics and clowning around. When Cleveland played well they were heralded as the loosest team in the NBA. Then the playoffs started and they were denigrated as immature.

What LeBron needs to win a championship is a strong coach and a teammate who will take over the leadership role. Miami head coach Eric Spoelstra might not be the Phil Jackson LeBron needs, but the ever present Pat Riley is right behind the ropes influencing what goes on with the Heat.

Cleveland, on the other hand, is left in ruins. Before "The Decision" the Cavs fired their GM and head coach despite posting the best regular season record in the NBA for two straight seasons. Without James, Cleveland could easily be the worst team in the NBA. Perhaps a reason James was compelled to leave, no?

I don't blame James for leaving, although the manner in which he did was unsatisfying. He is a solid veteran after playing seven NBA seasons, but he is just 25 years old and has never been out of Ohio. There was no reason to believe he would ever get the support he needed from the Cavs, and the decision was clearly not about money. James had the weight of a lifetime of losing in Cleveland on his shoulders, and not just for basketball.

The worst decision James made was letting Cleveland wait to hear the disappointment on a TV special. I'm not sure who advised James that would be a good idea, but it came off as pompous and ungrateful and he has yet to properly thank Cleveland for their support.

He exacerbated tensions with comments indicating Cavs fans were spoiled by his presence. True as that may be, Cleveland sports fans needed something to believe in after a lifetime of disappointment. To have those hopes smashed in their faces with an hour TV special was a humiliating perpetuation of what it means to be a Cleveland sports fan.

As quickly as LeBron was being raked over the coals by the same media outlet that aired "The Decision," Cavs owner Dan Gilbert sent an emotional letter to Cavs fans that was so off-base it helped James recover sympathy (at least from fans outside of Cleveland). Aside from calling him a liar, traitor, coward, and narcissist, Gilbert vowed to win a championship before LeBron.

The Cavs are off to a bad start to that endeavor, and I'm not sure how the letter helped Gilbert attract free agents. LeBron elevated the Cavs to their best run in team history and gets called a coward by the owner when he leaves. Do you think other players took notice of that treatment? I bet they did. Good luck fielding a team over next several years. The good news is they will most likely have the number one draft pick for the next few years.

Both sides are wrong for the way they handled the break up, and both had an opportunity to handle it with respect and class. Determined to have the last act of stupidity, James sent a letter to his hometown of Akron thanking them, but conspicuously left out the city of Cleveland, the Cavs, or fans from any other region of the state or country.

LeBron is less like a King and more like a very talented Prince. He needs leadership. How many 18 year olds straight from high school are ready to shoulder an NBA franchise? He is young, free spirited, extremely talented, and has never had a strong leader in his life on or off the court. LeBron needs someone he respects to answer to and play with. He gets both in Miami.

Playing without the burden of having to win or lose by himself will allow James to flourish, something Cleveland could never give him. The real question might be if he can stay dedicated and hard working in South Beach, or if he will get caught up in celebrity and night life. If he can stay out of trouble, you can count on three straight NBA titles before Wade and James break up so LeBron can recover the money he has given up to play in Miami. Too bad Cleveland didn't handle his departure with more class, he might have come back after winning a few titles in Miami.

The hopes of USA Basketball rest on the OKC Thunder:

The last USA Olympic basketball team was the best collection of talent since the original Dream Team. Nicknamed the "Redeem Team," the U.S. sent every big name they had to China to reclaim the crown of best in the world.

But the international game is not just about the Olympics as we like to think here in the U.S. The 2010 World Championships are a bigger event than the Olympics for many competing countries. The same countries that now boast many NBA stars on their rosters, and until 2008 looked to have surpassed USA.

The effort of playing serious competitive basketball after a grueling NBA season took its toll with the stars of the Olympic team. The National Team has a much different look without any members of the Gold Medal Olympic team returning to play in the 2010 World Championships.

Headlining the team is 22 year old Kevin Durant, NBA scoring champ and star of the OKC Thunder. Going along with him is point guard Russell Westbrook and forward Jeff Green. The Thunder were a great story last year making the playoffs and quickly becoming one of the most exciting offensive teams in the league. The National Team experience should be a cohesive exercise for the three teammates which can only help the Thunder continue to grow into one of the better teams in the NBA.

But is it cause for concern that 20 percent of the National Team is made up of extremely young players from OKC, the most experienced being 22 year old Durant? Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom are the only players on the team born before 1982, and if Odom is projected to be a factor this team could be in trouble.

The team is very rich in guards, but has a concern with size and inside presence. Durant is one of the tallest players on the team, but his game is more guard like which means they will have to run and score. A lot.

Thunder fans can rest easy that their representatives are young enough not to burn out for next year by playing on the National Team. The real concern would be injury, especially for Durant who figures to play as many minutes as possible.

This team can certainly win gold if they shoot up to their ability, but there will be little room for error against tougher teams. For those that prefer the more competitive international games rather than the U.S. blowing out their opponents, this is your event. 


Lakers defeat Celtics for NBA Championship:

Really not a surprise considering Boston was the 4 seed in the East. A team just two years removed from their last championship featuring the Big 3 (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen), the Celtics became the Big 1+3 with point guard Rajon Rondo elevating the play of his elder statesmen. The series went to game 7 (as did most of the Lakers series) but Kobe and co. prevailed in one of the more unspectacular NBA finals games ever played. Many still consider the Lakers the team to beat next year. Phil Jackson decided to come back to pursue his fourth 3 peat. Can anyone still make the argument Jackson only wins because of his players? Ask Kobe.